Feed-water regulator.



B. BANNISTER.

FEED WAT APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1s, 1914,

EB REGULATOR.

Janented Bec. l5, 1914.

WITNESSES Liu any invention. Fig. 2

'BRYANT BANNISTER, OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.,

'FEED-WATER REGULATOR.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 15, 1914i.

Application led June 13; 1914. Serial No. 844,849.

To all fwlzmtz't may concern.'

Be it known that I, BRYANT BANNISTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at "Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Feed-Water Regulator, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention relates to feed water regulaters used in regulating and controlling the flow of feed water into steam boilers and in maintaining the water level in the steam boiler at the required height or between the high level and low .level to be maintained in the boiler.

' @ne object of the invention is to provide a feed water regulator'of improved construction `having novel means whereby a, continuous flow of feed water into the boiler is effected and the level of the water in the boiler is maintained within narrow limits defining the high and the low water levels.

Another object of my invention is to provide a feed water regulator having improved means whereby the quantity of water suppliedto the boiler is increased and reduced with the increases or reductions in the amount of steam produced by the boiler irrespective of the pressure of the steam.

jltill further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter as the invention-is more fully described in the specification and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is an elevation, partly in section, showing a feed water regulator constructed and arranged andapplied for use on a. steam boiler in accordance with is a sectional elev'ation of the feed valve by which the flow of feed water into the boiler is regulated and controlled. Fig. 3 is a detail elevation of the pilot valve forming part of this invention.

ln the accompanying drawings, the numeral 2 designates a steam boiler which is connected, by pipes land 5, to the. top and bottom of the float column (i of the feed water regulator forming my invention, above and below the water level 3 of the boiler. The float column (i, which is provided with a water gage 7 of the usual construction, is connected, through an opening in the head S on its upper end, by the pipe 9, with the lower end of the differential cylinder l0, forming part of the valve disk operating mechanism for the valve 1l. The

'throuoh the s ider valve 1l which is in and forms part of the feed Water line 43 leading to the steam boiler il from a feed water heater all, regulates and controls the iow of feed water into the boiler. The opening inthe head S for the end of the pipe 9 also-has a pilot valve lf/2 secured therein, this valve being on the inside of the float column 6, and having a ,flap 13 pivoted therein. `The flap 13 is connected to one end of the lever la and pivotally connected adjacent to its upper end to the outer swinging' end of the lever li, is the stem i5 on the hollow ball forming the lioat 16- within the ioat column 6. The flap 13 in the pilot valve is positioned so as to be partly open when the float is in the position shown..

The lever 14 for the flap valve in the float column. 6 is provided with a guide i7 having shoulders 18 and 19 forming stops by which the upward and downward movement of this lever and the float 16 connected thereto is limited and the valve flap 13 is held in widely open and in closed positions.

The valve l1, by which the How of water through 'the feed water line to the boiler 2 is regulated, is provided with a seat 20a and a frusto-conical nozzle 2O extending above the seat in which a tapered valve disk 2l is located. The lower side of thel valve disk 21 hasl a stem 22 which extends dfnvnwardly Q3 in the valve body to form a guide for the valve disk 2l. The differential cylinder l0 on top of the feed valve is provided with a differential piston 24.

he large end of the piston 24: is provided with packing rings 25 and its small end with packing rings 26 of usual and known construction and the large end 27 of the differential cylinder l0, which is made in sections is provided with a bronze bushing or liningQS. At one point in this annular lining 28 a narrow vertically extending slot 29 is formed, which is narrow in width. compared to its length and which affords means of communication between the interior of the large end 27 of the differential cylinder l0, and the port opening() into which onecrend of the pipe Slis connected. At the lower end of the differential piston beneath the piston, a secondinlet is into the cylinder which is connected to one end ofthe pipe 9 leading from the upper end of the float column (i.

The upper or small end of the dilferential piston 2l projects ppwardly into theismall upper end of the vertically extending diffA `formed leading ii O sepaiutes the body 11 of the feed valve from der, to provide means for manually li ting the piston 2l and, through the connecting stein 36, the valve disk 2l in the valve body l1.

il stuffing box and plug forming a gland 38 are provided in the head 39 which the lower end of the dierential cylinder l0, through which the stein 36 extends.

.The pipe 9 leads from the upper end of the float column 6 to the lower end of the dillerential eylinder 10 and the pipe 3l connected to the port 30 .in the large end of the cylinder 1l leads to en exhaustg line, connected at its other end to e feed Water heater, or other source of low iluid pressure so as to subject this end .of the cylinder, beneath the piston 2i, to the pres sure of thel steam in the exhaust line.

Connected to a T l0 on the pipe Whieh connects the upper end of the floot eolumn .6 with the boiler '2 is a smell pipe il by f which the small upper end ol' the vdifiere i eutiel o lindert l0 above the iston 24C is .Y P

` connected to the float column 6 and boiler u liep 13 of the pilot follie 2. rl`he opening i2 in the lining 28 connects the cylinder l() shove the upper face of the large end of the piston 2A: to permit the escape into the port 30 of uid pressure collecting abovethe large end of the pis 'lhe operation of my improved apparatus will new he described. f

The vvater level in the float column '6 is always the seme es the level in the boilel` 2 and rises and falls with vuetuations inthe height of the Water in the boiler W'hen the waterlevellnitheiloat column falls, the

` lloat 16 drops hindi in dropping, opens the f 2' so es to admitinore and more steam inthltheipipe 9 lesdiiig from the float column to the under side ol the large piston 24 in the differ; ential cylinder 10. This causes the pressure under the pistou @il to increase until it becomes great enou h to overcome the ressure of steam `on tie upper smell end o the pistou and move the piston upward. The smell end. of the piston 24 which operates in the. small end of the Cylinder is at ell times connected by the pipe lll. to the steam boiler and float chamber 6s@ as to always have full boiler pressure operating thereon.

As the i@vater level is lowered in the 'boiler Q. the inereused supply oi' steam to the un der side of the large end of the dilierentiel piston 24 moves the piston upwardly in the cylinder 1G und in moving upward uncovers more and more of the vertiezxl slot 29 through wall ol the brons-e bushing or r loing in the lzfrge end of 'the Cylinder 10. This.' inoreaselin tiiesize oi `the. slot 29 permits lstesim in greuter' and increasingly greater quantities to escupe through the port 30 into the pipe 3l and through this pipe into the steam exhaust line leading to the feed water heater or other source of lovv pressure. ln this Way the piston 24 will be caused to move upwardly ust far enough to relieve the pressure on the large end oi the piston 24 to an extent suiiicient to counterbalance the effect of the lhigher pressure on the lesser urea of the small end of the piston, The upward movement'of the piston 9.4, `through the stem, lifts the valve disk 2l in the rusto-oonioal nozzle 20 Within tliebodyoi the valve l1. lVhen this disk is raised from the valve seat 20 in this way, the vulve l1 is opened to' au increasingly greater extent so that more and more Water is admitted from the feed Water line through the outlet opening in the valve ll to the boiler 2. The floot 16 Will autometi cally drop until the dislr'l of the Jleed vslve is raised suflioiently to increase the feed Water supply enough vto maintain the Water level in the boiler. The float will then slowly move up and down, Withinu narrow range of travel, with the slight rise and fall of the Water from the level 3 in the boiler 2, so as to remain practically stutionary. Should the evaporation of Water in the boiler drop oil suddenly., the water ,will rise above the level 3. This increase `Water increases and in so doing will more nearly and, with sufficient change in the Water level, `entirely close the flap Valve 12 in the column 6 slid lessen or shut oli the steam supply to thep'ipe 9 which extends from the upper endv of the lioat column 6 to the under side of the piston 24. The partial closing' of the pilot valve l2 re-v duces the quantity lsteam supplied through the pipe 9 to the under side of the large piston, which will then be forced downwardly by the action of the boiler pressure v on the upper small end of the dillerential piston 2li. `The position of the piston in the lower large end of the cylinder 10 will he suoli es to expose just enough of the slot 29 in the lining or bushing 28*to maintain the pressure necessary to balance the ell'eot of the boiler pressure on the upper small end of the piston. Dovvnwerd movement of the piston 2l causes the valve disk 2l. to move downwardly and partially close the valve ll so as to lessen or reduce the dow oi feed water therethrough into the boiler and prevent undue rise in the level of the water iu the boiler, that would otherwise trike place. by reason 'of the lessened amount of evaporation of water iu the boiler.

Ylf'he advantages of my invention will be arenoso apparent to those skilled nin the art. The apparatus is simple and is easily .kept 1n repair. By its use the Water 1s maintained in the boiler at a' practically constant level and excessive changes in the Water level maintained in the boiler are prevented and overcome.

Modifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts forming my no vel apparatus may be made without departing from my invention as defined 1n the appended claims.

l claim l. A feed rater regulator, comprising in combination a lloat column having,` steam and Water connections to a steam-boiler, a valve in the feed Water line to said boiler, a' dilerential cylinder having a piston opere atively connected to the disk means connecting the steam end of the oat column 'with the cylinder at the large end of the piston therein, said means having a Y pilot valve operatively connected to the vsaid column, said float l .lift 11i-closing they pilot v'alve,'meansv con-4 doet in said column, means connecting the steam end of said column with the cylinder at tl e small end of the piston, and a port in the large-end of the differential cylindei1 to relieve `the steam pressure on the large end of said piston, said port being covered and uncovered by movement ofthe piston in said cylinder.

rlne combination With a steam boiler and a feed Water heater, having' a feed water line connected to said boiler, of a feed water regulator, comprising a float column having steam and water connections to a steam boiler, a valve in the feed Water line to said boiler, a didierential cylii'ider having-a piston oi'ieratively connected to the disk of said valve, means connecting the steam end of the column with the cylinder the piston therein, said means having' a pilot valve ooerativcl'f' i'onncctcd to the iioat in nn, means connecting the steam 4vid column with the cylinder at the small end of the piston, a port openingr connectcdv to the feed .vatcr heater, and a slot in the wall of said cylinder connecting' the cylinder and port, d slot beine: positioned tc be covered and uncovered by the large end of said piston.

Iflic combination with. a steam boiler and a feed water heater, having a feed water line connected to said boiler, of a feed Water regulator comprisin?,- a float column having steam and water connections to a steam boiler, valve in the feed Water line to said boiler, a differential. cylinder having a piston operatively connected to the disk of said. valve, means 'connecting the steam end of the column with the cylinder at the large end of the piston, said means having a pilot valve operatively connected to tlie float in being' arranged to of said valve,u

at the large end of.

nccting the steam end of said column with the cylinder at the small end of the piston therein, a port opening to the feed Water heater, and a slot in the Wall of said cylinder connecting the cylinder and port, said slot being' positioned to be covered and uncovered by the large end of said piston.

` el. The combination with a steam boiler and a feed Water heater, having a feed Water line connected to said boiler, of a feed Water regulator, comprising' a float column having steam and Water connections to a steam boiler, a valve in the feed water line to said boiler, a differential cylinder having a piston operatively connected to the diskof said valve', means connecting' the steam end of the float column with the cylinder, at the large end of the piston having a pilot valve operatively connected to the float in said column, said float being' arranged to lift in closing the pilot` valve, means in said column for limiting the movement of the float therein, means connecting the steam end of said column with the cylinder at the small end of the piston, a port openingI connected to a feed Water heater, and a slot in the wall of said cylinder connecting the cylinder and port, said slot being positioned to be covered and uncovered by the large end of said piston.

5. A feed Water regulator for boilers comprising' a float column connected to the boiler above and below level thereof, a float controlled pilot valve in said float column, a valve controlling the liow of feed water to the boiler from a feed water line, a diiferential cylinder having; a l

differential piston operatively connected to the valve disk of the valve on the feedvwater line, means connecting' the cylinder to the boiler and float column above the vater level therein, means connecting' the outlet on said pilot valve to the large end oil said cylinder, and a lengthwise vertical slot in the Wall of the large end of said cylinder and connected to a source of low pressure, said pilot valve being' actuated to vary the supply of steam passingT from the float column into the large end of said cylinder and the large end of vsaid piston covering' and uncovering' the vertical slot in the side wall of the cylinder to maintain equilibrii'un on the opposite ends 'of the piston and vary the flow of steam through tliecylindcr into the source of lovv' pressure, to thereby move the valve disk and decrease or increase the flovv of Water through said feed Water valve into the boiler.

6. A. feed water regulator, comprising,` in con'ibination a float column having' 'steam d Water connections to a steam boiler, a vali-clin the feed Waterv line to said boiler, a dill n'ential cylinder having a piston oper f tively connected to the disk of said valve, means connectinglthe steam end of the coltherein, said means small end of said viv the established Water slotlin 5355 l l 1,121,59S

umn with the cylinfler et the large end of the piston therein, said means having a pilot valve operatively connected to the float in said column, means connecting the steam end of said column with the cylinder at the-small A end of the pieton, a yport opening connected to a source of lowpressure, and a slot in the `Wall of said cylinder connecting the cylnder and port, said slot being positioned to be covered and uncovered by the large end of's'eid. pistona f i 7. A eecl Water regulator comprising in y combination a float column having steam and water connections to a steam boiler, valve inthe feed Water line to Asalti boiler, a dierential cylinder lhaving c piston operatively connected to the disk ci? Said valve,

means connecting the steam enel of the col umn with the cylinder at the large end of K the piston, said means having a pilot valve operatively connected to the float in said column, said float being arranged to lift in closing the pilot valve, means connectingv "the steam end ofseid column Withthe cylin der atlthe'sinallend of tliepiston therein, a

portcpening to a', sourceof low pressure, and a slot 5in-tire wall of said cylinder conf ncc'ting the cylinder and pcrt,said slot being positioned tolse covered and uncovered by 'the large end oscicl pieton,

8. A feed Water regulator, comprising in combination a lioat column having-@steam and Water connections to a steam boiler, a valve iirthe feed Water lincto said boiler, a

' differential cylinder having a, piston operar@l tively connected. to the disk of said valvnl'` means connecting the steam end of the' oat. column with the` cylinfler, at the llarge en of the pistontherein, saimeanc having a* -pilot valve operatively connected to the floaty in said column, said, iloat beingarrangefl to'. lift in closing the pilot valvegf'nieans in saidcoliimn for limitingthe1 movement of the 'tloaw therein, meansi connecting lthe steam ,iir'jlo said column With the cylinder at the ,tnilllend of the piston, eport opening connected go a' Source 'Tof'low pressure, and a he well of said cylinder connecting the lcylinder and gort, said slot being, @est f tioned to lie 'covered and uncovered by the large end of said piston.

i thereby ineens connecting 9. A feecl Water regulator for looilcrs com pricingV a `float column connected to the boiler above anal belofmtlie establisliecl Water level thereof, a float controlled pilot valve in said float column, a valve controlling the, loiv of feed Water to tlle boiler'rom e feed Wnter'line, a dierential cylinder having d'ercntial piston operatively connected fte the valve clickv of the valve on the feed wete/leen nl'ine, 'means connecting the small end of seil cylinder to the boiler and float column above' tlie Water level therein, means connecting the outlet on said pilot valve to the lerge'end of said cylinder, and a lengthwiseverticel slot in the Well ci' the large enel of Said cylinder and connected to a source of low presA sure, sai pilot valve being actuated to vary the supply' of steam passing ironi'thehoat column into the large enfl ci said cylingler" and the large'enrlof said pistoncovering and uncovering the verticalzslot ntiiesicle Wallv of the cylinder to maintain equilibriuxns on the opposite ends of the piston and" veryzf" the flow o' steam through lthe cylinder" to move the valve disk, andincreaeeor decrease the How of Water through sai fecal Water valve into tlienoiler.

10j. A feed Water regulator, comprising combination a float column having Stettin and Water connections to c, steam tollerati valve in the feed Water lignel tc said boiler, en

clierential cyliner having a pieton opere-,l tively connectetl to 'the disk el 'said valve,

the steam engl oi the cciiiinn with the cylinder ctjtlie 'large enclkc,

valvcgcperati vely connected to tli'cf liissiit,,in

tlie piston therein, said vmeans having a pilot Y saidffcolumn; ineens connecting tfie' steam, l

` enlcf Sani column Wit-li the cylindecet tite smell enti of tliel piston' 'a port openingandlf 

